Search Chemicals

MyChemicals

Anhydrides

What are reactive groups?

Reactive groups are categories of chemicals that typically react in similar
ways because they are similar in their chemical structure. Each substance with
a chemical datasheet has been assigned to one or more reactive groups, and
CAMEO Chemicals uses the reactive group assignments to make its reactivity
predictions.
More Info...

If you can't find a chemical in the database--but you know what reactive group
it belongs in--you can add the reactive group to MyChemicals instead in order
to see the reactivity predictions.

Description

Flammability

Except for acetic anhydride, these materials are not flammable but are combustible. The products of combustion are noxious.

Reactivity

Compounds from this group are incompatible with aqueous acids, strong oxidizing agents, alcohols, amines, and bases. Organic anhydrides react exothermically with water. The reactions are sometimes slow due to limited miscibility, but can become violent when local heating and/or increased miscibility during the reaction accelerates the rate of reaction. The rate of reaction with water is also accelerated by acids.

These substances are formed by the condensation reaction of two molecules of an organic acid with the loss of water. They have the form R1(CO)O(CO)R2, where R1 and R2 may be any of a number of different organic compounds. Compounds in this group are used in organic synthesis and as dehydrating agents in nitration, sulfonation, and other reactions.

Reactivity Documentation

Click on the links below to see how this reactive group is predicted to react
when it is mixed with one of the 64 reactive
groups. A variety of documentation about that reactive group pair will be
displayed, including predicted hazards, predicted gas byproducts, and
background materials and references used to make the predictions.